Welcome to my blog and the place where I will post my photos and musings from my life as an ultrarunner. My nickname "Shining" was given to me by a group of very special students after I finished my first 100-miler, the Massanutten Mountain Trails 100. They were the inspiration that enabled me to finish this awesome race, and I try to live each day with a "shining" attitude!

I enjoyed the chance to reflect back on the past six years of my ultra life, and I hope that some of what I shared in the interview will be helpful to others. Thanks, Neal, for including me on your ultra journey!

Speaking of journeys...Neal and I will be joining some of our good VHTRC friends tomorrow at the Catawba Runaround, which Neal profiles on his blog. I decided to bag the long road trip to the Land Between The Lakes 60K because my traveling companion, Heidi Johnson, is battling piriformis issues, and a 9-hour drive would be torture. Plus, the weather forecast is calling for a major snow storm out there. I do love to run in fresh snow, though! One of the great things about this popular event is the RD, Steve Durbin. When I emailed him to tell him we wouldn't be making the trip, he offered to credit our entry towards next years race! How cool is that? Hopefully someone will take be able to take our spots---all four of the races (23K, marathon, 60K, and 50M) were full.

Spring is almost here, despite the winter weather elsewhere. Catawba was my ultra rite of passage in 2004, and is now a rite of spring for me...it truly defines the spirit of ultrarunning. Happy Spring!

Hi Sophie!Great to read your blog! I need your positive energy this week! (A student at our school suicided this past weekend so life has been a bit of a wreck coping for the entire school community) Sounds like life is good for you! I see you have Cheat Mtn 50M on your schedule..I am considering it too-George and I will be at Snowshoe week after Easter for a few days snowboarding on what's left of the snow and adventuring. I plan on running what I can of the course. Please remind me of your email. Though my email address is the same, our server changed programs and I lost my address book! Stay well and strong!

Sophie! I see you signed up for Grindstone. Great job! I am going to also. I'm going to work up a training schedule and post it on my blog, along with updates to the training as I go. This is going to be the biggest thing I've ever run!

Hi Sophie,The Highland Sky 40 looks like a great race, and I see it's just over a month after the Flying Pig Marathon (training is going well). Do you think I could pull it off, given my limited trail experience?Thanks in advance for the advice.

Highland Sky is a toughie---usually takes me about 8:15ish to finish, depending on the weather. It has some technical, rocky sections, a 7-mile dirt road section, great singletrack and some pavement. If you could get a 25-30 miler on trails in on Mem Weekend, after recovering from Flying Pig, you should be fine. In fact, I am planning to run it and Rusty will be with me, mountain biking the trails around Canaan. We are staying over Friday and Saturday...no kids! It would be great to see you out there. The race is awesome.

"I believe I know who I am standing on top of a mountain, and that I make the best decisions in the heart of the forest." -Jennifer Pharr Davis

It's about the mountains. It's the power and the peace of those old mountains. It is air and sunshine and weather and nature. Daylight and darkness. Wind and water. It's about being part of it rather than just passing through. It's getting closer to where I came from, all the while moving and getting closer to where I want to be. --Alan Gowen

What inspires me

Watching my children grow up

A beautiful mountain trail

Compassion

My students

About Me

I am a 53-year-old mother of three, a full-time school counselor and lacrosse coach, and an ultrarunner who came to love trails after years of racing triathlons and marathons on the roads (ouch!). I am fortunate to live in the most beautiful part of the US (in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains), near my mom, my sisters, and their families. Most importantly, I have a fantastic husband who loves endurance mountain biking and plays a mean guitar, and three kids who keep us hopping!